Crowds expected to gather early for Saturday's ABC Sale

This year’s big ABC yard sale is set for Saturday at the Knights of Columbus Hall in New Bern.

Sun Journal file photo

By Charlie Hall, Sun Journal Staff

Published: Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 04:26 PM.

A year’s worth of community-donated items goes public Saturday morning with the annual New Bern Historical Society’s ABC yard sale.

The crowds come early at the Knights of Columbus building, often lining up around the Pine Tree Drive site an hour or so before the 7:30 a.m. start. The sale continues to 1 p.m.

The acronym ABC is for “attic, basement, closet,” and it features items ranging from furniture and seasonal crafts to toys, tools and antiques.

Co-chairs for the event are Gerri Olvaney and Cheryl Lawrence, who will join about 50 volunteers and eight Cherry Point air station Marines in transporting the items today from storage units around town to the site.

“I think it is one of the nicest sales of the year,” said Lawrence, who has worked the project for the past four years. There are lots and lots of community donations and normally we get some great, quality things. And, all the money goes back into New Bern.”

The project helps fund the historical society’s many education programs.

Olvaney said the society has two people who research any antiques to set a low price.

A year’s worth of community-donated items goes public Saturday morning with the annual New Bern Historical Society’s ABC yard sale.

The crowds come early at the Knights of Columbus building, often lining up around the Pine Tree Drive site an hour or so before the 7:30 a.m. start. The sale continues to 1 p.m.

The acronym ABC is for “attic, basement, closet,” and it features items ranging from furniture and seasonal crafts to toys, tools and antiques.

Co-chairs for the event are Gerri Olvaney and Cheryl Lawrence, who will join about 50 volunteers and eight Cherry Point air station Marines in transporting the items today from storage units around town to the site.

“I think it is one of the nicest sales of the year,” said Lawrence, who has worked the project for the past four years. There are lots and lots of community donations and normally we get some great, quality things. And, all the money goes back into New Bern.”

The project helps fund the historical society’s many education programs.

Olvaney said the society has two people who research any antiques to set a low price.

“Every item is sorted and priced,” she said. “It is priced to go out the door. At the end of the day, there is usually next to nothing left.”

She agreed that it goes to a good cause — historical educational programs.

“It is important to keep young folks in tune with New Bern history,” she said.

She said the society provides pick-up service throughout the year for donated items, but in the final week, donations should be brought to the Knights’ building today or Thursday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

There are some items that are not available — clothes, mattresses, paint, children’s cribs, car seats, bicycle helmets, non-cable-ready televisions and desktop computers.

“We could not do this without our volunteers, or the Marines. They are indispensable,” Olvaney said. The Marines help set up the sale, and on Saturday, four Marines will be on hand to assist customers, including loading.

“We have a great weather forecast this year,” Olvaney added. “Last year, it rained, but people still lined up at 6 a.m. They stood in the rain to get in.”

Charlie Hall can be reached at 252-635-5667 or charlie.hall@newbernsj.com.